Beekeeping as a business – Practical “How To” guide

Although it might be a soliciting business, beekeeping comes with plenty of benefits, from a steady personal business, to unlimited access to honey and other great benefits. However, before starting this type of business, you must draw a great business plan, and for doing so, you also want to make sure you consider some crucial coordinates. A well-structured business plan will help you pre-establish potential weaknesses your business might have. From finding the perfect honeybees for sale, to keeping them healthy, we have some pieces of advice for all aspiring beekeepers.

Acquire competences in the field

Although it might sound more than obvious, you must obtain some qualifications in this domain before starting your business. Although many aspiring beekeepers are long past their study years, many succeeded in acquiring proper levels of understanding and handling the bees. Therefore, you shouldn’t be afraid to go down this road yourself. Make sure you follow some courses that will enable you to handle properly the bees, maintain them healthy all year around, what to do in unexpected situations. Also, make sure you deepen your knowledge of what to do in case of diseases to the hives and bees themselves and even in case of natural disasters. Also, you might want to start with an assessment of your resilience to bee stings. You don’t want to come to a conclusion you are allergic after starting your business.

Get your first bee colonies

There are plenty of specialised companies on the market, where you can buy your first bee colony from. Make sure you buy your queen and additional bees as your starter pack, and then make sure you gradually increase their numbers. This will help you become accommodated with caring for more bees, without the perception of a burden. Make sure you read something on honey characteristics depending on bees’ species. Some provide more, some lees.

Identify and develop a market for your honey

Yes, your friends and family are a great market for your products, but you want to make sure you enlarge it over time. Ask whole-food stores if they are interested in organic or raw honey, you might get lucky. Also, by-products such as bee wax are suitable for candle manufacturing. Either you can produce them yourself, or you can sell the bee wax to candle manufacturers. This way, you can assure an increased profit from your small beekeeping business.